RCA Records “Gruve Gard” Anti-scratch Feature

RCA Records announces that "Gruve Gard", recently implemented, and announced to the Public will be offered to the Record Industry license free. This article is from Billboard Magazine, Sept. 18, 1954. I will try to find some industry reaction. The disadvantage of Gruve Gard is that it can create an uneven surface on the turntable platter. See the diagram after the article.

The diagram below shows that Gruve Gard creates an uneven playing surface if lower cost turntables are used, which have 10½", 11", or 11½ diameter platters. Higher end turntables can have 12" diameter platters the same diameter as the LP record. The thickness dimensions in the diagram have been exaggerated some to show the tilting effect of a small diameter platter.

Gruve Gard is optimized for large expensive 12" diameter turntables; a special mat to increase the height around the rim of a smaller turntable could compensate for this. But none were ever made to sell.